'Violent demonstrations involving anti-immigration groups have broken out in towns and cities across Britain'
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00:00Windows of this hotel in Rotherham were smashed as anti-immigrant protesters threw stones
00:05at the building that has been used to house asylum seekers.
00:09They also started fires and clashed with police.
00:13Violent demonstrations involving anti-immigration groups have broken out in towns and cities
00:18across Britain in what has become the worst rioting in the country for over a decade.
00:26Residents here in Blackpool have been left shaken.
00:28When I heard several people got badly injured and hurt, one of my friends who was out there
00:34saw someone getting pushed over and hit in the head hard, getting carried to an ambulance.
00:39Attacking your home towns, affecting your own businesses and things like that, it's
00:45not right.
00:46The unrest comes after a stabbing in Southport that killed three young girls on Monday.
00:52False information about the suspect's background quickly spread online, fuelling anti-Muslim
00:57and anti-immigration demonstrations, even after police confirmed the suspect was born
01:01in Britain.
01:02The violence has prompted hundreds of mosques to step up security.
01:06It's a first test for newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has promised a
01:10firm response.
01:11I think there needs to be the full force of the law and I think it needs to be swift.
01:17What happened in 2011 was that we were able to see individuals who took part in violence
01:24arrested, charged, remanded and convicted very swiftly.
01:27Standing arrangements are in place for that and we will do whatever it takes to ensure
01:32that the message is absolutely clear that if you're taking part in this violence, you
01:38will regret it and you'll be brought to justice as quickly as possible.
01:43Dozens of arrests have been made and in Sunderland, where violence hit a peak on Friday, several
01:48officers had to be hospitalised.